flstandardbreds Ch. 75.2 - Nogami’s Invitation Pt2
Ch. 75.2 - Nogami’s Invitation Pt2
She snickered, and then her tone softened.“Your voice sounds a little rough. Go get a drink of water, okay…?”
“Uh… yeah…”
This was bad…
She always threw emotional punches without warning.
Sure, the hoarseness was mostly from talking too long with Shihou last night, but that was definitely something he could not mention.
Not over the phone. Not now.
Fortunately, ever since adopting a “water before bed” habit, he kept a sports bottle in his room.
Gulp gulp.
The cold water hit harder than a splash to the face, instantly shocking the fuzzy sleep from his mind.
“Whew…”
“Better now? Good. So, does Nogami-sama require her loyal attendant to handle some pressing trouble?”
“Do you think I’m the kind of girl who’s nothing but trouble?!”
To be fair, yes.
“O-Of course not…”
“Hmph. Anyway, are you free today… No, you must be free today.”
Who talks like this?!
He could almost see the question mark floating above his own head.
Well… it was very on-brand for her.
“I’m free, I guess…”
“Good. Then get to Shibuya PARCO, first floor, Café Marly. Before 10:30.”
So direct. Couldn’t she be even a little subtle when asking someone out?
“Uh… just the two of us?”
“Y-You idiot! That would be a date!”
…Wasn’t this already a date?!
He barely kept himself from blurting it out. Experience kept him alive.
Even through the phone, he could imagine Nogami right now, bright red face puffed up in outrage.
“Sae and Minako will be there too!”
“So you want me to— ”
“Are you coming or not!?”
Nogami cut him off mid-sentence, her tone leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.
Just from the way she said it, it was obvious there were no options other than “go.”
Still, having Sae and Minako there too actually worked perfectly for him.
He still needed Nogami’s help dealing with that senior Yobitani. The guy was a minor and technically only attempted a crime; if he put on a show of apology, he’d be released in a matter of days.
And besides, he had another idea:
He wanted Nogami and Shihou to become friends.
It sounded ridiculous on the surface, but when you considered their personalities, backgrounds, and psychological traits… it wasn’t impossible. In fact, it might work.
Nogami looked down on ordinary people with no talent and too much ignorance. But Shihou, in both intellect and upbringing, was every bit her equal, and could truly become her fourth friend aside from Sae and Minako.
As for Shihou, she admired Nogami’s freedom and boldness, the way she treated her own “specialness” as though it were nothing at all. And if Shihou wanted to reveal her true self, to stop wearing the mask of “Shihou Chouko,” then aside from him, Hoshikawa Harutaki, Nogami was the best possible person she could open up to.
Spreading rumors or leaking secrets… with Nogami’s pride, she would never do something like that.
“I’ll definitely be there on time~”
He accepted Nogami’s “invitation” on the spot, then smoothly added:
“But I do have one little thing I’d like to ask Nogami-san for help with… Oh, also, can I bring someone with me?”
“Who?”
“Shihou-san.”
“……”
“If you don’t want to, I can forget it.”
There was a moment of silence. Then Nogami’s confident voice came through the phone again.
“Tch. Whatever. Don’t make it sound like I’m petty. Adding one Shihou Chouko doesn’t bother me.”
…?
“Much appreciated.”
……
The tamagoyaki was lightly browned on the outside, soft and springy within; half a perfectly grilled, crispy-skinned salt-mackerel; a bowl of mild miso soup with tofu and wakame; and a small dish of vinegared spinach and carrot,
No offense to his sister Ayaka, but there was no way she could’ve made something this elegant.
It could only have been Shihou. Harutaki was certain.
He was about to thank her, still in the kitchen washing dishes with Chiaki and Fuyuno, when Ayaka grabbed his arm and dragged him into a hidden corner near the entryway.
“Ayaka…?”
“I think this Shihou-senpai is really nice.”
Harutaki froze.
…Huh?
She dragged him aside just to tell him that?
“Sure, Nogami-senpai isn’t bad either, but she always feels a bit overwhelming… Even if she doesn’t mean it that way, standing in front of her feels like I’m bowing my head…”
“Ahem, Ayaka, why do you even care about this?”
“You’re the idiot who publicly announced he’s looking for a girlfriend, not me.”
Hands on her hips, her thin, casual T-shirt tightened, showing off a figure that was anything but “thin.”
“And if the reason you want a girlfriend isn’t for marriage, then that’s a hundred percent scumbag behavior. Scumbags should die ten thousand times.”
…Bit harsh for scumbags, no?
“I mean, you’re not wrong, but, ”
“If you ended up with someone like Nogami-senpai, the rest of us would be super uncomfortable.”
As she spoke, she raised her pale, rosy hand and extended her fingers, counting them one by one.
“One, Shihou-senpai’s looks and figure are on par with mine, and she’s not inferior to Nogami-senpai either. She’s a one-in-ten-thousand beauty.”
“That sounds a little like bragging.”
Not that she was wrong, he thought.
His three sisters, Shrasagi-senpai, Nogami, Shihou, Sae, Minako… It was like the brightest girls of the entire generation had gathered here.
Judging by how the other students behaved toward them, it really was an unusual lineup.
“Big dummy, I’m being serious!”
Ayaka shot him a watery blue glare before continuing:
“Two, Shihou-senpai totally has the aura of a noble family’s daughter… Even if our Hoshikawa family can’t compare… I think if you work hard, you could still measure up.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“I wasn’t complimenting you!”
“Three, she’s gentle, capable, elegant, her cooking is almost as good as yours. That’s basically one of the core requirements for a perfect wife!”
Refined on the surface, playful and reserved inside—
He couldn’t deny that it was the ideal wife type.
Harutaki nodded in agreement.
“Four, Shihou-senpai obviously has feelings for you. Whenever she talks about you, she gets embarrassed. And when she brings you up, it’s always praise…”
“Five, she does like someone else, but she’s still single!”
At that point, Ayaka lowered her head, staring at her toes that weren’t visible, and murmured:
“I don’t like the idea of ruining someone’s feelings either… but if it’s for your future happiness… a girl like Shihou-senpai is way too good to give up on.”
“A-And she’s single anyway! If you work hard, you can definitely make her fall for you instead.”
“I think right now Ayaka is topping the ‘perfect wife’ rankings.”
He said it jokingly, but he didn’t disagree in the slightest.
Beautiful, great figure, amazing at housework, holding the entire Hoshikawa household together while their parents were away…
How could such a cute girl who cared so much about him be inferior to Shihou?
“W-What are you even talking about?!”
Ayaka kicked his leg lightly, her tulip-pink shoulder-length hair swaying in the air, the tied twin-side ponytails brushing against his cheek with a citrus-scented swoosh of shampoo.
…
“W-We’re… going on a date with Nogami-san?”
Chouko stared at him in disbelief, unable to understand why he was dragging her along.
Didn’t he know she and Nogami didn’t get along?
He’d been there when the two clashed head-on!
“Hinata and Sanada-san will be there too. But really, I just want to use the chance to help you and Nogami-san become friends.”
“You want me and Nogami-san to become friends? N-No way, that’s impossible… we’re totally incompatible…”
She waved her hands, smiling helplessly as she declined.
“Sure, if you don’t fight, you won’t lose… but if you never fight, how would you ever know you can’t win?”
Harutaki gently took her raised left hand and, without waiting for her reaction, shoved Ayaka’s borrowed ladies’ shoulder bag into her arms.
“It’s break time. No outsiders around. And you know what Nogami’s really like… You can relax a little. You don’t have to keep forcing yourself to act like ‘Shihou Chouko.’”
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